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After writing a quick hands-on look at Google Drive hours after it was released, I've had a chance to put the new service through more of its paces.

What strikes me about Google Drive is that it's a hybrid between cloud storage and cloud computing. Like Dropbox, SugarSync and other cloud storage services, it allows you to store files created on a PC, Mac or mobile device. But like what used to be called Google Docs, it also allows you to create and edit documents, spreadsheets and presentations.

That model makes sense, especially for Google. If the search giant had its way, there would be no Macs and PCs --just Android tablets and Chrome laptops that run software and store data on Google servers. That's a bit of an exaggeration (actually most Google employees I know still use Macs or Windows machines) but it's clearly the long-term direction the company is moving in. It's not going to be reality for a long time given the fact that high-speed Internet access is not yet available everywhere on and above the planet. And it’s not clear how cloud computing will emerge on mobile devices, given the current fascination with apps which, are basically the mobile equivalent of PC software.

Transitional problems

The problem with Google Drive as it's being launched is that the company hasn't fully worked out the integration between the old Google Docs and the new Google Drive storage of PC and Mac files, including those from Microsoft Word and Excel.

When you save a Word file in your Google Drive folder on a PC or a Mac, you can access that file on the Google Drive website but when you click on it online, it opens in Google Docs. But if you want to make changes, you have to export it as a Google Docs file. But when you update that Doc file it's not automatically synced to your PC or Mac. You have to go back to that machine, access the Google Drive website and download the file to your hard drive. If this were truly a hybrid system, any change you made on any platform would automatically sync to the other.

I also tried accessing a Word file on my Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 Android tablet and, while it opened just fine, the changes I made to the file didn't sync back to Google Drive. That's because the tablet opened the file using Polaris Office on the Android which saved it only to the Android's internal storage. A Google spokesperson I chatted with said that apps need to be Google Drive aware for them to properly sync back.

Issues will resolve over time

My guess is that these issues will be resolved over time, but in the meantime there can be a bit of confusion. Still, based on several hours of use, I'm impressed by Google Drive not only for personal storage but for shared documents as well. The service not only lets you share individual files but folders and subfolders as well. It's even possible to have different sharing options for special subfolders so that you can have a folder for your entire organization and subfolders that are only shared with specific teams. Google’s pricing model also makes a lot of sense. Everyone gets 5 gigabytes of free storage and those who need more can pay $2.49 a month for 25 GB or $4.99 for 100 GB. Or you can buy even more storage, up to 16 GB. Unlike Dropbox, the quota only applies to the file’s owner so if I have a 25 GB account and share files with colleagues who have a free 5 GB account, the shared files I own don’t count against their quota.